Hardy a good fit for St-Pierre ahead of Condit fight

Firas Zahabi, head coach for Georges St-Pierre, has described the importance of Dan Hardy to the welterweight champion's preparations ahead of UFC 154.

St-Pierre, who has gone five rounds with Hardy in a previous championship fight, enlisted the help of the Brit some weeks ago, as first reported by ESPN.

Hardy has knowledge of fighting St-Pierre's November 17 opponent Carlos Condit, after the Brit made all the running against Condit before being caught.

St-Pierre will now use Hardy for both his knowledge and his stand-up style, which does not differ significantly from Condit.

"He's a special guest this week to spar with Georges," Zahabi said during an episode of Training Day: Inside Tristar Gym Live on Fuel.

"He fought Condit. When he was fighting Condit, it was neck-and-neck. Yes, he got stopped by Condit, but I think it was one inch away from being the other way around. It was very close. Extremely close fight.

"And I think he's a very good look for us to see what it's going to look like when Georges fights Condit."

Hardy had previously spoken highly of the Tristar Gym in which St-Pierre operates, saying the whole setup is built to create world champions.

"This sport isn't necessarily all about one person, it's about your environment," Hardy told ESPN. "If you've got a solid gym that you're pushed in and you improve year on year, that's going to benefit you more than somebody who bounces around from gym to gym.

"GSP has a system that works. He works really hard, but he has a system in place to keep that belt around his waist."